NCAA Football 2007: It's like deja vu all over againBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Straight from the Press I got my hands on a copy of NCAA Football 2007 a couple of days ago, and as promised, I'm ready to render my verdict. I'd like to have played it a bit longer first, but I'm pretty sure I got a good look at all the new features -- it didn't take long. Yes, NCAA '07 is basically NCAA '06 with a few more bells and whistles. Still, some of the changes are welcome, so progress has been made. The ...

Tech men's basketball to offer two campsCourier sports staff The Arkansas Tech men's basketball program has two more camps scheduled for this summer. Wonder Boys coach Mark Downey and his staff are scheduled to conduct a two-day team camp for junior and senior high school basketball teams July 28-29 at Tucker Coliseum. The cost is $50 per player. Tech is also scheduled to offer a camp for children in grades 1-12 July 31-Aug. 3. Cost of the camp is $100 per participant. For more info...

Tech ranked No. 39 in preseason top 40Courier sports staff The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys are ranked No. 39 in Don Hansen's Football Gazette preseason NCAA Division II top 40, which was released Tuesday. Tech, which finished the 2005 ranked No. 37 by Hansen, is the last of five Gulf South Conference schools to crack the top 40. The other four are No. 8 North Alabama, No. 17 Valdosta (Ga.) State, No. 27 West Georgia and No. 28 Delta State, Miss. Oddly enough, the Wonder Boys are sch...

Razorback tailgate party scheduled for Monday in Little RockCourier sports staff The Arkansas Athletic Development Foundation will host its first annual Arkansas Razorback Football Preview and Tailgate Party at 6 p.m. Monday at the River Market Pavilion in Little Rock. The event will feature Arkansas quarterback coach Alex Woods, who will preview the upcoming season and answer questions for those in attendance. The two-hour event will begin with a meal and will be open to the public. Admission is $30 p...

Arkansas Tech University hires offensive line coachCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech recently hired Les Boyum to replace the departed Clint Reed as offensive line coach, according to a release obtained Tuesday by The Courier. Boyum, who will also handle the team's equipment, brings 25 years of coaching experience to Tech, including the past two seasons as a video assistant at the University of Arkansas. "I'm pleased to be able to add Les Boyum to our coaching staff at Tech," Tech football coa...

Three Tech coaches welcome new assistantsBy Courier Sports Staff Three Arkansas Tech coaches recently welcomed new assistants, according to a trio of Tech Sports Department releases obtained by The Courier. The new hires were expected to officially assume their new roles Saturday, the releases stated. Tech men's basketball coach Mark Downey, who took over the program in April, announced the completion of his first Tech staff with the hiring of assistant coach Kurt Young and the retur...

Tech's Cooke honored by GSCCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech cross country runner Aoife Cooke has been named one of the Gulf South Conference's Top 10 student-athletes for the 2005-06 school year, according to a Tech Sports Department release obtained by The Courier. The GSC Top 10 award is annually presented to five male and five female student-athletes from within the conference. Cooke is the 12th Tech student-athlete to receive the award since 1997, and the first fe...

Solid defense leads West past East 20-3By Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor FAYETTEVILLE -- Former Russellville quarterback Eli Cranor already knew he was going to play NCAA Division I football before Friday night's Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-star football game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. However, he didn't know he was going to end his high school career on such a positive note. After finishing the game 7 for 11 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown, Cranor -- ...

Tech to be featured as part of GSC's football TV packageCourier sports staff The Wonder Boys will be back in prime time this season. The Oct. 26 football game between Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas in Magnolia is scheduled to be televised as part of the Gulf South Conference's television package with Cox Sports and Comcast / Charter Sports Southeast (CSS), according to releases obtained Friday by The Courier. "We're excited that we will be able to have one of our football games on television t...

Former Tech pitcher sees first pro actionCourier sports staff Former Arkansas Tech pitcher Aubrey Miller made his professional debut Wednesday night in Elizabethton, Tenn., with the Class A Bluefield (W. Va.) Orioles of the Appalachian League. Miller, who was a 23rd round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in this year's Major League Baseball first-year player draft, pitched 123 innings in Bluefield's season-opening 6-5 loss to the Elizabethton Twins -- the defending Appalachian Leag...

College football annuals give Hog fans reason to believeBy Danny Scott Sports Editor A few weeks ago, I discussed college football annuals in this very space, specifically their importance in helping this pigskin fanatic get through the summer. So far, I've managed to get my hands on just two. I've seen hide nor hair of Lindy's, SportingNews or Athlon's SEC-specific edition. I have, however, taken a good, long look at both Athlon's national edition and Phil Steele's very thick college football prev...

Tech announces 2006 cross country scheduleTech Sports Information The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns cross country team released its 2006 schedule Tuesday, as announced by Tech coach Tom Aspel. Aspel, who is entering his 12th season at the helm of the Golden Suns cross country program, has his team running in six meets before the Gulf South Championships on Oct. 21 in Huntsville, Ala. Last season, Tech finished 11th at the GSC Championships, but junior Aoife Cooke made history as she becam...

Miller's dream becoming realityBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Arkansas Tech pitcher Aubrey Miller's dream of playing professional baseball is one step closer to reality. Miller agreed to sign with Baltimore on Thursday, one day after the Orioles selected him in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The decision means Miller, a redshirt junior, will forego his final year of eligibility at Tech. While the terms of the contract haven't been finalize...

Poynter transferring to University of OzarksCLARKSVILLE -- Former Dover and Hector basketball standout Jessica Poynter will be transferring to the University of the Ozarks, announced Ozarks head women's basketball coach Kelly Stutz. Poynter, a 5-7 guard, played at Central Baptist College in Conway last season as a freshman. Poynter graduated from Hector in 2005, and was named to the 5AAA All-conference while leading the team in scoring, assists and 3-point percentage. Stutz led the Lady...

Tech places three athletes on GSC academic teamCourier sports staff Three Arkansas Tech University student-athletes were named to the Gulf South Conference Spring All-Academic teams, and 26 more were selected to the honor roll as released by the league Wednesday. Junior Dario Colovic (baseball), sophomore shortstop Molly Schweigert (softball) and sophomore Whitney Simmons (tennis) were named to the All-Academic team. Schweigert and Simmons were second-team All-GSC West Division selections ...

Tech's Miller drafted by Orioles in 23rd roundBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor A life-long dream became a reality for one Arkansas Tech pitcher Wednesday. Aubrey Miller was selected in the 23rd round -- the 685th pick overall -- of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles on Day 2 of the draft. Now, the right-handed pitcher faces the decision of whether to sign with the Baltimore organization or return for his final season of eligibility with the Wonder Boys. ...

GSC athletic directors meet, discuss possible changesBy Danny Scott Sports Editor The face of Gulf South Conference athletics is having a little work done. GSC athletic directors spent the past two days discussing possible changes to various sports during their annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. Arkansas Tech athletic director and head football coach Steve Mullins attended the meeting, which began Monday afternoon and concluded Tuesday. No major changes are in the works, he said -- a nip here, a...

Wonder Boys in process of building hoops teamWonder Boys in process of building hoops team By Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor When Arkansas Tech men's basketball coach Mark Downey was hired back in April, it was obvious he was excited about rebuilding the Wonder Boys program. A challenge, no doubt, but Downey hasn't shied away from the task at hand. He's also tried to share that excitement with prospective players and has recently signed two recruits to join the 2006-07 team. Benton s...

Tech to conduct two summer softball campsCourier sports staff Arkansas Tech head softball coach Gidget Pambianchi recently announced that the university plans to conduct a pair of softball camps this summer, according to a release obtained Tuesday by The Courier. The first camp, scheduled for July 13-14, is billed as a two-day hitting and skills camp. It will focus on hitting techniques as well as teaching or improving basic softball skills. The second camp, which is scheduled for Ju...

New schemes, new faces equal new look for Arkansas Tech Wonder BoysBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Arkansas Tech recently released its post-spring football depth chart, and as expected, there are plenty of fresh faces in starting positions. Tech entered the spring looking for seven new starters on each side of the ball, as well as a new punter and place kicker. But perhaps the most noticeable change in Tech's depth chart is terminology -- the positions needing to be filled, as opposed to the players filling them...